Rumour has it that Campbell Live is for the axe.
That would be a shame. However, John Campbell's unquestionable talents are wasted in a show that has become less about serious news, and more about celebrities and fluff.
Maybe it was always that way and maybe I've just got darker on watching this kind of trash, but I still remember some pretty hard-hitting interviews by Campbell in the past. Nowadays the show seems more a vehicle for promotional items than current affairs. If some sappy Hollywood romcom is to be released you can bet CL will have an interview with the leading lady. If a band is touring, even a rubbish one, they'll have the interview. And I am always infuriated when a network uses a supposed current-affairs show to promo its next big show.
Maybe TV3 thinks we want to watch a lightweight magazine show at this hour, and after all it leads into the lightweight reality show they will have on at 7.30pm (except for Friday - I know this because my wife likes Glee). But the poor ratings of CL suggest maybe the formula of Hollywood gossip and fluff isn't actually what we want.
The experimental @Seven, which took over the 7pm spot over summer, also tanked. No surprises there. It was patchy at best, and there's nothing more ruinous of a meal than a flat joke. But there's a potentially good show there, if they can get the right anchor, find a few more funny jokes, and perhaps vary the panel a bit. It might be beyond the resources of TV3 to do a genuinely funny show five days a week, but I reckon a weekly one-hour show could succeed. There's no shortage of material to work with.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
I welcome comments, but I ask commenters to follow a few simple rules:
1. I delete anonymous comments. Please use either a name or moniker. I am not asking anyone to reveal their secret identity. Just don't call yourself "Anonymous".
2. I am thick-skinned, thanks to years of serving my reptilian overlords, but I won't tolerate abusive comments. Feel free to criticise the substance of what I have written, provided your criticism is intelligent and constructive. Don't abuse me or other commenters.
3. Please don't defame people.